I’d almost forgotten exactly how literally little kids take everything. At 3 years old, Becca’s more of a ‘big kid’ now and certainly not the 18-month-old she was when I started blogging. Toddlers are so funny and I was reminded again of that fact tonight, hanging out with Ron, Mary and little Eric after all of the other kids were in bed.

Eric had slept on the way up here, so wasn’t exactly tired by bedtime. Besides, there were just way too many fun places in my house to explore. We’ve gated off the hallway so he can only go down a small portion of it, and he keeps hanging out by the gate, shaking it and attempting to figure out how to open it.

It’s not an easy gate to open – even my kids have trouble with it. I’ve been letting Becca back and forth through it all day – which is going to get very old, very quickly…

Mary had just finished telling Ron and I about something cute that Eric’s been doing lately. At the end of the Open Season 2 DVD, there’s a music video featuring the animated characters, to the song “Who Let The Dogs Out?”. Eric and Emma love to dance to the song and Eric has started chanting along with the “Who… Who… Who…" part. It’s one of the few actual ‘words’ that he says regularly. Mary asked him, “Hey Eric, who let the dogs out?” and he looked up, smiled and right on cue went, “Who… Who… Who…”. Ron and I laughed and that was it.

Until about ten minutes later, after Abby had made one of her several trips out of Hannah and Becca’s room (which she’s sharing so that Mary and the kids can have her room) – there’s the usual, “Are there any storms?”, and the “I’m afraid of the dark!” because Hannah and Becca’s nightlight is dimmer than hers is. Plus tonight we got a detailed description of how Hannah was pushing and otherwise antagonizing her instead of going to sleep, and the requisite potty visit and drink. It’s frustrating, but unfortunately part of life with Asperger’s – she literally cannot go to sleep without knowing or telling us what’s on her mind.

All day, we’ve been after the kids to keep that hallway gate closed behind them as they go through. It’s gotten so that as soon as Eric hears that gate, he’s over to it immediately to see if it’s been left open. Abby is probably the worst offender – even Becca not only shuts the gate, but has taken to reminding others to do so as well.

Can you guess where this is going yet?

Abby went back to bed, and Eric immediately headed for the gate – which had not been closed. Ron saw, and already frustrated to begin with, yelled out, “Who left that gate open?”.

Very loudly. And angrily. And he certainly wasn’t singing it.

But right on cue, from the hallway we then heard Eric’s little voice going, “Who… Who… Who…”.

So maybe it’s not as funny to describe as it was at the time… But it got the three of us completely cracking up. 

Yes, I know this picture has absolutely nothing to do with the story I just told, but I’m throwing it in here anyway because it’s a cute picture of Eric that I took at dinner tonight.  So there. 

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